The Humane Society of Tacoma & Pierce County Chief Executive Officer Job Posting November 13, 2017

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1 Chief Executive Officer Job Posting November 13, 2017 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Animal welfare is a philosophy that promotes stewardship of individual animals, embraces a human connection to animals, supports raising and caring for animals humanely and responsibly, celebrates human/animal interactions and works to improve animal well being. Founded in 1888 by a handful of concerned citizens, The Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County the first in the state, and only the fourth in the nation has grown into the state's largest animal welfare agency. We find loving homes for more than 6,000 pets a year, reunite thousands of lost pets with their owners, provide medical care for ill and injured shelter pets, and offer comprehensive low cost spay neuter programs. We strive to create a compassionate community where every pet has a loving home. The Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County is a local, independent 501(c)3 non profit which relies on donations to fund its vital programs. It operates with a $6M budget, $4M Endowment and $4M Operating Reserve. In April 2017, the Board of Directors sought to lead The Humane Society of Tacoma and Pierce County through a major transition that would include the facilitation of a comprehensive assessment to understand how it functions, its strengths and weaknesses, its alignment to core ideology and business strategy, and to develop plans to implement the necessary changes. These changes present new challenges and demands from the Board of Directors and the CEO down to the volunteer greeter in the main lobby. The assessment process identified structure and system changes to increase efficiency, superior customer service and financial support. The Board increased its focus on the long term, operational outcomes and organizational capabilities to take advantage of opportunities, revitalization, progress, innovation, and growth. The change management design process has led to a more effective organization design to significantly improve fundability, customer service, internal operations, program growth and staff effectiveness. This moment of opportunity in the Society s history requires an inspirational leader with an exceptional combination of qualities, skills and experiences; a passion and commitment for building capacity; a sophisticated understanding of executive leadership in an organization with a long legacy and Labor Union; and proven success in achieving big, measurable goals contributing to continuous improvement, financial growth and new facilities. HISTORY: In the summer of 1888, when Tacoma was just a frontier town, a drunken logger brought a bear cub to the corner of 8th and Pacific, where he began kicking him to get him to perform tricks. A crowd soon gathered, and tried to stop him, but he refused. The Justice of the Peace was summoned, and the logger was arrested. Later that week, a group of town leaders met to form the Tacoma Humane Society only the fourth such organization in the nation. For the first few decades, the Humane Society concentrated on protecting livestock, working animals, and children. As orphanages were established and machinery took over farm work, the Humane Society turned its attention to domestic pets. During the 30s and 40s, the Humane Society operated to rescue animals, find homes for strays, and sponsor an annual Mutt Show; and in the 50 s it became the official Animal Control Service will forever be remembered as the year the shelter broke through the previously unbreakable barrier of puppy euthanasia. The Humane Society had worked tirelessly to solve a problem it did not create, to attend to emergencies it could not control and to change inhumane attitudes it would never fully understand. In 1997, the Humane Society launched a capital campaign to renovate and expand the Society s out ofdate, congested and seriously inadequate shelter. Through the overwhelming support of more than 750 individuals, local corporations and foundations, a larger, vastly improved Animal Shelter with a full service veterinarian department was realized in By 2006 the Society relinquished its animal control contracts to effectively meet the needs of homeless animals and reach its goals of eliminating pet euthanasia and creating a no kill community by 2008.

2 In 2014, the Humane Society aggressively turned its attention to addressing the cat overpopulation problem by creating a Community Cat Program focused on Trap, Neuter, Return. By 2016, the Society reached the Gold Standard of a 90% live release rate as a Shelter. In the 129 years since its beginnings, the Humane Society has evolved, responding to the changing needs of animals. Today, the Humane Society shelters more than 12,000 animals every year, maintains more than a dozen Humane Programs, and is at the forefront of progressive animal welfare. MISSION and VISION: Purpose To advance the welfare of animals and promote positive relationships between animals and people. Mission By 2022, become a sustainable animal welfare organization providing the best care and outcome for animals in a state of the art facility, nationally recognized for its Gold Standard of 90%+ live release. Vision A community where every pet has a permanent and loving home and all animals are treated with respect and compassion. GOALS and OBJECTIVES: GOAL #1: Build a resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable funding and foster innovation. Identify ambitious, sophisticated opportunities to increase revenue to 60% of the annual operating budget; while building an inspiring level of philanthropic support generating 40% of the annual operating budget through the Annual Fund. Provide the best possible resources for animals, customers and staff in its current facility, by investing $250K annually in Systems and Infrastructure enhancements through GOAL #2: Build a distinctive, positive brand, ensuring inclusive and quality communication for all audiences. Reach 80% of pet owners in Tacoma and Pierce County by December 2018 through community engagement, partnerships, advertising, public relations, promotions and an expanded digital and social media footprint. Collect data from customer touch points to track and improve levels of customer satisfaction for all aspects of our services, achieving a positive customer satisfaction rating of 90% by December GOAL #3: Inspire collaboration to improve animal welfare by serving as a catalyst for leadership and innovation. Exceed the National Standard of a 90% Live Release rate annually. Begin shaping animal welfare policy in 2017 at the Local, State, Regional and National level through organized advocacy and partnerships. In 2018 establish at least one representative on a State, Regional or National animal welfare Board, one representative on a Policy Committee, and as guest speakers at animal welfare conferences. OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FACING THE NEW CEO: This transitional stage of the Society s growth offers both extraordinary opportunity and exciting challenges for the incoming CEO. Through an in depth organization assessment, the current Interim CEO has established a 2

3 change management strategy to significantly improve the infrastructure for growth, efficiency and effectiveness. The Board of Directors is active in its visioning stages and is excited to partner with the new CEO as it articulates and refines a strategic direction for programming and a future building campaign. Working collaboratively with the Board of Directors, the new CEO will develop and articulate a shared vision, a community informed strategy, and a programmatic, advocacy and policy agenda, that incorporates and reflects the Society s vision. The CEO will establish effective and synergistic roles with the Board as thought partners and key advisors, participate in the recruitment of board members with deep content expertise, and will balance the need for thoughtful board level processes with the urgency for action and progress. GOAL #1: Addressing the Society s funding capacity requires a long term perspective. The Society is committed to pursuing big goals that require bold, creative strategies. The Society will embrace complexity and be diligent in long term planning and strategy development. The CEO will build upon the Interim CEO s strong change management strategy in establishing effective, efficient internal systems and operations focused on continuous process improvement, and will provide vision and direction for building and nurturing the Society s senior team. The CEO will develop and direct a talent strategy and operational growth plan for the Society that ensures the recruitment and retention of a team of high performing professionals. GOAL #2: The CEO will ensure the Society is listening and learning with authenticity, and establishing effective lines of communication that will help build a culture of trust, mutual accountability, and continuous improvement in the Society s work. The CEO will effectively represent the Society to the public, the press, policy makers, cross sector leaders and other key stakeholders in a way that brings to life the values, vision and goals of the Society and also makes clear the Society s intention to listen, learn, and collaborate. GOAL #3: The Society believes that our community knows what they need to improve animal welfare. It is excited to partner in a broader listening and engaging strategy with Local, State, Regional and National community leaders and members in meaningful ways to prioritize, design, and support collective effective solutions based approaches. The CEO will identify opportunities for partnerships and program alignment that furthers the Society s commitment to the advancement of animal welfare; and he/she will engage with the Board to deepen the Society s shared understanding of the power and potential impact of its 501c3 status. CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS: The CEO will provide vision and strategic operational leadership to 59 employees, (35 of which are non exempt, union employees, 6 Senior Staff, 10 middle management staff, 8 non exempt employees) and 350 regular volunteers to lead the organization to its next level deepening its innovation and impact. We expect that the selected candidate will embody the following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences: Visionary Leadership Exceptional evidence of innovative thinking and approaches in past organizations. Recognized as a leader/shaper among peer organizations. Ability to establish win win relationships with others; deliver consistent, positive and reinforcing messages to motivate staff and promote their development. 3

4 Ability to creatively use positive persuasion to influence staff and key stakeholders, and to skillfully lead using authority when necessary. Ability to make informed decisions in ambiguous, uncertain situations; developing strategic alternatives and identifying risks and actions that can lead to success. Exceptional charisma, to inspire others and achieve impact. Experience and skill with advanced change management techniques. High EQ of self awareness; actively works toward professional and personal development. Track record in recruiting and retaining senior staff with exceptional performance; develop, refine HR plans to support organizational goals. Strategic Management Ability to translate clear, bold goals into annual operating goals and objectives. Ability to set overarching goals into operational performance measures to direct the actions and priorities of each business unit in the organization. Ability to set clear, coherent long term strategy that is both actionable and linked to mission, vision and overarching goals to drive day to day behavior at all levels of the organization. Exceptional internal expertise in strategic planning, and use of external, highly qualified resources. Ability to develop a comprehensive, integrated system used for measuring organization s performance clear and meaningful outcomes based performance measures in all areas of the organization. Understands and leads the disciplined use of comprehensive data to assess, research and support decisions, proposals and programming. Community Impact Track record for efficiently and effectively growing programs. Extensive industry knowledge of others to assess opportunities; planning efforts; opinion leaders. Ability to grow constituent capacity, gain social capital to tackle issues/problems, align advocacy support and policy changes. Track record in developing customized communications plans and strategies to carry out consistent and powerful messages. Highly successful in developing earned revenue streams, cause related marketing, fee for services, and retail opportunities. Sophisticated, comprehensive understanding of social media. Ability to build clear, transparent, supportive relationships with Constituents and Stakeholders, and those representing the highest levels in business, government and nonprofit sectors. Strong verbal communication skills including public speaking, one on one communication, and versatility in communicating with people of different behavioral styles. Resource Development Proven track record of developing and implementing a $25M+ Capital Campaign to develop a new facility to enhance the organization s effectiveness and efficiency; serve clients; inspire the community and raise the stature of the organization. Exceptional financial judgment; deep understanding of complex financial concepts; and clear understanding of financial impact of all decisions. Promotes programs and services that are produced in a cost effective manner, employing economy while maintaining a high level of quality. 4

5 Proven track record in raising significant funds through highly diverse funding streams insulated from potential market instabilities. Promotes a culture of fundraising in the organization, both at the staff and Board level. Organization Management Ensure all teams are aligned and collaborating. Maintain operational excellence through high standards and procedures, continuous improvement, fiscal integrity and compliance within policies. Assist in the effectiveness and knowledge of the Board to fulfill its role, recruit diverse members and support the organization financially. Assess organizational capacity to implement strategies and identify gaps in system and staff and develop plans of contingency and succession. Maintains accountability for the operational and fiscal integrity of the organization s policies. Professional Qualifications Advanced degree preferred. 10+ years of Executive Director/CEO experience and demonstrated leadership within a nonprofit environment with 50+ employees. Humane Society/Animal Welfare experience and certification preferred. Knowledge and experience with unions preferred. Proficient with Microsoft Office, strong technical and analytical skills, and ability to plan and manage multiple complex tasks required. Demonstrated organizational, financial, and operational management expertise applicable to the Society s asset size and mission. Track record of high personal and professional integrity. TO APPLY: The Humane Society of Tacoma and Pierce County provides a highly competitive salary and comprehensive benefit package. Nominations, inquiries, and/or applications, including a cover letter describing your interest and qualifications, your resume (in Word or PDF format) and five professional references should be submitted to: ceosearch@thehumanesociety.org No phone calls or Recruiting/Staffing Agencies Deadline to apply: December 31,